This felt like a miracle, after all the stress and distraction and feeling so disconnected from my making. While I was writing Friday’s post about not knowing what my next sweater project would be — about not knowing what my Hole & Sons yarn would be — I pulled my copy of Rowan Pioneer off my shelves, which is always a joy to spend time with. The leading contender for the H&S yarn is Dwell, from that book, but I have concerns about the armholes and wanted to look at the pics vs the schematic. On the next page is a sweater I hadn’t really taken note of before, Hearth. I don’t like it much — the waist shaping and the little ribbed cap sleeves and the cowl-ish neck put me off — but it brought to mind that Elizabeth & James sweater I praised here awhile back, and then I couldn’t get those photos out of my mind. Friday afternoon I had a much needed few moments of calm and focus, gazing at the various photos, imagining my own version and how I would wear it. And sketching it into the queue in my beloved Fashionary notebook, knowing for certain what my next sweater would be.
Friday night I wound three skeins of my camel-colored Shibui Merino Alpaca into one giant cake and cast on. At first, I thought I might loosely adapt Hearth, just leaving out the sleeves and the waist shaping, but after closer inspection I realized the only part of it that works for me is the cast-on count. So I’m winging it — working straight to my desired dimensions and writing shaping for almost slit-like armholes and a turtleneck that’s big but not enormous. The photo above is the first pass at the armholes — too cut in for what I want here — so I ripped back and redid it. I had knitted that entire back piece in two evenings, so I didn’t mind a bit.
Are you triple stranding the merino alpaca? Wow. I loved that yarn. Is it so heavy and drapey knitted up?
It is going to be a pretty heavy sweater. I feel like it’ll be ok given the relatively spare square footage, but we’ll see! I’m already fantasizing about yarn options for a light and cuddly next version.
I love it! And the pattern?
I’m making it up, as described above.
You’ve had me daydreaming about camel yarn. I was revisiting your post the other day from a while back about camel options. I feel like I need to make something simple and basic next.
You can never go wrong with simple and basic.
I love the three strands. It’s creating an interesting texture. Looks great.
This yarn is so ropey and defined, every stitch is gorgeous. And is that not the best-looking chunky ribbing you’ve ever seen?
So do you think the model has a purse slung over her arm so you can’t see the depth of the armhole? Always remembered the advice from Maggie Righetti in Knitting in Plain English: Beware overly posed and strategically placed props in pictures of knitted garments. Usually hiding some awkward feature.
I think the model has a bag slung over her shoulder so you can see the bag! Those are among their most expensive merchandise.
I think of her warning all the time when I look at pattern photos!
LOL Never considered the picture could be about the bag! I am so knitting biased.
100% agree with DWJ! While you were busy moving, I too was looking back and thinking of camel pullovers… So I’m pleasantly surprised but not, that this is what you decided to do! I’m actually surprised that no one has sought to reverse engineer these bulky turtleneck vests on Rav… Will be interested to see how you get on.
Do you find your recent foray into sewing helps figure out what shape those armholes should be?
Actually, I’ve just been knitting a lot of sleeveless things lately, and studying armscye shaping. As resistant as I am to tampering with that when there’s a sleeve cap that has to match up, I’m thrilled to tamper with it when it’s just its own shape.
Good idea and it will be Comfy! very nice.
Beautiful! Given that this is knitted with three strands, roughly how many skeins are being used?
The back will use a hair more than one 3-skein cake. The front might get eked out of one more. So that’s 6 skeins and a little. Hard to say how much the neck will use, but it could be almost another three. So I’m guessing in the end somewhere between 8 and 9 skeins worth of the Shibui MA, which would be in the neighborhood of 1000-1100 yds.
And will leave me enough to still do that Linda with the rest of my hoard!
Cannot wait to see how it turns out
This yarn…. Mmm… Color, stitch definition – so beautiful!
This looks fantastic, I always like taking bits that I like from different patterns. I hope it turns out well for you, I’m glad you’ve managed to get going again with your making.
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